By Katie Land, news editor
Longtime Oakland University professor Dr. Terri Orbuch -- one of America’s most trusted relationship experts -- will share her groundbreaking research and reveal the secrets to happy relationships in a national Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) special this fall.
For nearly three decades, Dr. Orbuch, also known as “The Love Doctor®,” has followed hundreds of married couples as part of an ongoing, landmark study funded by the National Institutes of Health.
“Relationships are my life. Relationships keep you healthy and happy physically and psychologically, and they are the most important reason that people are happy over time,” Dr. Orbuch said.
“My goal in being the love doctor and making my research accessible to real couples is to make science fun and beneficial to everyone.”
Unlike other relationship experts in the media, Dr. Orbuch blends her years of experience as a therapist with practical advice based on her own scientific research. She has written five books, published more than 40 articles, and been quoted frequently by prominent publications such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Reader’s Digest.
In her upcoming DPTV special, “Secrets From The Love Doctor,” Dr. Orbuch will translate science into accessible and simple strategies for improving and enhancing relationships at every stage. The secrets are based on findings from her study, which has followed the same 373 married couples for 27 years. Although 46 percent of the couples have since divorced, the study continues to follow individuals and to utilize their experiences and insight.
Learn more about Dr. Orbuch's work and upcoming PBS special in the video below.
“The PBS experience in and of itself, in terms of rehearsals and meeting with all of the PBS staff, crew and producers, was fun and interesting,” Dr. Orbuch continued.
“I had to first condense all of the really interesting findings from the study and from my books into 60 minutes, and that was really hard because there are so many things that are interesting about what keeps people together and happy and what leads to divorce.”
This fall, Dr. Orbuch will submit a new grant to continue NIH funding for her study -- the 28th year of the project. She plans to research the changes and challenges of relationships in the later years, an area of sociology of which little is known.
“The original goal of the project was to research what keeps people together and happy in terms of marriage. The project is called the Early Years of Marriage Project,” Dr. Orbuch said. “The first grant was only four years, and that is all we planned to do. Now it is the longest-running study of its kind. So every single time we interview the couples in their 16th or 22nd year of marriage, there are new questions to ask.”
The Oakland community is encouraged to show support for Dr. Orbuch and Detroit Public Television by calling (800) 859-9887 during the live show, or pledge online at
DPTV.org/programs/lovedoctor.
Oakland University is a vibrant academic community with nearly 20,000 students and more than 260 degree and certificate programs. To learn more about academics, achievements, and events at OU, visit the news site at
oakland.edu/newsatou and follow the news team on Twitter at
@OaklandU_News.
